Quills
by humhallelujah
Summary: Harry has always wondered about quills. Why doesn’t Hogwarts just use pens? A joking conversation with Luna ends up into a heartfelt confession and a deep realization. Implied HPLLish. PostHbP, seventh year.


**This was a really random idea. It came from a question I asked in my own mind, and I ended up making it into… this. Hope you like it. And if you haven't already, go to www(dot)dumbledoreisnotdead(dot)com. It's amazing.**

**It started as humor, and ended up as implied romance.**

**Summary: Harry has always wondered about quills. Why doesn't Hogwarts just use pens? A joking conversation with Luna ends up into a heart-felt confession and a deep realization. HPLL-ish. Post-HbP, seventh year.**

**I don't know if this counts as AU or not since Harry goes back to school, but still.**

**Disclaimer: My name is Rebekah. Rebekah does not start with J, therefore my name is not J.K. Rowling.**

**Genre: General/Romance**

_**Quills**_

Harry was checking his Potions paper (or lack thereof) in the library and absentmindedly tapping his quill on his ink bottle, when he looked down at his paper and saw— his quill. He frowned slightly. It had just occurred to him… why didn't Hogwarts just pens? They were, after all, easier to use.

He looked around for someone to ask. Most likely they'd just think him stupid.

Hermione was sitting across from him. Harry poked her in the shoulder. "'Mione?" he asked softly. After all, this was a library.

She looked up, irritated. Of course, Hermione had already finished her Potions assignment, her Charms practice, and her Transfiguration essay, all of which Harry had to do, so she was deeply immersed in her Ancient Runes translations.

"Yes, Harry?" she answered. "Didn't I just help you with that ten minutes ago?" The Potions essay was lying on the table, with elegant red handwriting scribbled all over it. Hermione's 'help'. Now Harry had to redo it.

"Why does Hogwarts use quills?"

Slightly surprised by the sheer randomness of Harry's question, she took a moment to look up from her homework.

"Well, Hogwarts is a very old school, Harry. Pens weren't invented when the Four Founders created it. You do know who the Founders were, don't you, Harry?"

"Yes, Hermione." He knew that if he said the truth that he didn't know much about them, he'd never get his question answered.

"And after that, I suppose they just never changed it. Probably because the school supply shops in Diagon Alley didn't want to change their whole business… from selling quills to pens."

Harry nodded, though it wasn't really the answer he'd wanted. Or expected, really. As Hermione went back to her hard work, he turned to Ron.

The aforementioned Weasley was staring off into space, obviously trying to think of more gruesome ways to die that he could put on his Divination homework. Harry hadn't done that, either.

"Hey, Ron?"

Shaking himself out of his (most likely) morbid daydreams, Ron turned to Harry.

"Why does Hogwarts use quills?"

Ron looked at him blankly. "Well, what else are we supposed to use?" Then Harry remembered – Ron didn't know about pens. Ha-ha.

Bored out of his mind, Harry glanced from the (not getting any smaller) pile of homework on the library table, to the other students, also loaded down with books.

He started to walk around, asking people that question.

Dean Thomas had just laughed and said that he never thought about that, but most people either didn't know or didn't care.

Finally, Harry made his way to the last people in the room (that he was willing to ask, anyway)—Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood.

He smiled at both of them, if a little awkwardly at Ginny. It was weird talking to an ex, he decided. For some reason, it just is.

Sitting down and nodding a greeting to each of them, he immediately popped the question.

"Why does Hogwarts use quills?"

Ginny took Muggle Studies, so she knew what pens were. But still, she looked at him strangely. "Why do you ask that?"

He shrugged. "Just wondering."

Luna spoke up then. "Hogwarts uses quills because they have symbolism."

Harry turned to look at her and frowned. Typical: Luna having the different answer then everyone else. "What do you mean?"

"We use quills for special reasons, whatever they may be," at this point she fixed him with a stare, "I believe, however, that the quill can be associated with many different things, one of them being difference."

"Difference?"

"Yes. We are different then Muggles. More old-styled, in a way. We wear robes, have old history tomes," here she indicated towards the books around her, "and we walk around spouting phrases in Latin, a dead language. I believe the quill represents wizards and witches in general, while the pen, or pencil, represents Muggles."

"Or it could all just be a coincidence." Ginny said, gathering up her things. This table was too sentimental for her.

But Harry was truly intrigued. "So we don't really know what the symbolism could really mean?"

"No. The only one who does or did know would be Dumbledore, and he's dead now."

The words struck Harry painfully. Anger filled through him for a moment. How could she just go out and… and… _say_ that. Sure, it had been four months, but still.

As if she had read his thoughts, she spoke up again. "Harry, everybody is going to die sometime."

The statement-like quality and simplicity of that sentence shocked him. What was more was that it was true.

"Is there something you would like to tell me, Harry?"

Luna may not have known it, but Dumbledore had said close to those exact words to him. And this time, Harry wasn't going to lie.

"I was there."

She looked up at him, amazed. "Pardon?"

"I was there, when Snape… killed him." Harry paused, contemplating what to say. "I was stunned. Dumbledore had stunned me."

She met his eyes, and Harry half-expected to see pity. There was pity, but just a little bit. Covering it up were layers of other emotions that gave her eyes a misty look.

"Why do you think he did that?"

He thought about it.

"Because he didn't want me to get hurt."

Luna was looking at him like a fellow peer, but asking him the questions of an adult. "What would you have done, had you not been stunned?"

"I don't know…"

"Think with your heart." He looked at her oddly.

"I would've attacked Snape…"

"And?"

"I would've saved Dumbledore, but most likely died in the process."

"And our world would be without our Boy Who Lived."

Luna also didn't know about the prophecy, and Harry knew that he couldn't die except for at the hands of Voldemort, but maybe there was a hole somewhere in it.

"Dumbledore saved your life, Harry."

She smiled and her smile matched her eyes.

Maybe she was wrong. If he had not stunned Harry, letting him attack his former Potions teacher, he might not have died (because of the prophecy) but at least gotten hurt. Yet Harry couldn't help but feel happy that Luna was trying to cheer him up.

He looked up at her. "Thanks."

She smiled and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. He smiled back through the beat of his heart (which, strangely, was increasing), feeling better despite how he knew what she said was wrong. It was nice to have someone else care.

Plus, he kind of liked Luna. She wouldn't laugh at him, or anything. He could tell her things, and not be able to anticipate her reaction like he could with Ron and Hermione.

Yes, Luna was a good friend. Besides, it was nice to have someone who could say what they really thought, sentimental things about love and hearts and other things that people didn't talk about, but did think about.

**End Of Story**

**That… was pointless. Go ahead, flame me if you like. I'll most likely agree with you.**


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